Google Pixel 2 at Rs 39,999 on Flipkart is a no-brainer. Go get it now

Google Pixel 2 at Rs 39,999 on Flipkart is a no-brainer. Go get it now

The Pixel 2, on a regular day, starts at Rs 61,000. But, if you buy the
phone from Flipkart during its promotional 2018 Mobiles Bonanza sale,
you can get it for Rs 39,999.

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Saurabh Singh

New Delhi

January 4, 2018

UPDATED: January 4, 2018 09:53 IST

The Google Pixel 2 was launched in India at a pretty hefty price of Rs 61,000. When you're out in the market with Rs 60,000 to spare, you're more likely to overlook the Pixel 2 though, because the Pixel 2 doesn't leave a long-lasting impression, the first time you see it. Give it a second look, maybe some more, and it'll grow on you, eventually. Question is, how many of you, would be willing to do that when there are fancier -- and equally good if not better -- options available in the market. But what if you can get the Google Pixel 2 at a price of Rs 39,999? Well, I'll answer that for you. You go buy it.

After having used the Pixel 2 for over a month now - and having just wrapped up its full review - I can firmly say that Google's second-generation Pixel is my favorite compact phone of the year 2017. But before I tell you why, let's first understand the whole deal that can fetch you the Google Pixel 2 at a monstrous Rs 21,000 discount.

The Pixel 2, on a regular day, starts at Rs 61,000. But, if you buy the phone from Flipkart during its promotional 2018 Mobiles Bonanza sale, you can get it for Rs 39,999. Flipkart is offering a flat discount of Rs 13,001 on the Pixel 2 bringing the price of the phone down to Rs 47,999. To get a full discount of Rs 21,000, however, you'll need to have an HDFC credit card, and make the payment using the same. This means an HDFC credit card will fetch you an additional Rs 8,000 discount. The said discount will effectively be a cashback so you'll need to make the full payment to avail it.

If you don't have an HDFC credit card, Flipkart is also offering up to Rs 18,000 off on exchange. There's also a buyback guarantee of up to Rs 38,500 available on the Pixel 2. All said and done, even if you're not able to make use of all these extra offers, you can still buy the Pixel 2 at Rs 47,999 on Flipkart, which is still a massive discount. The offer, however, will last until January 5 only after which the Pixel 2 should go back to its original launch price of Rs 61,000.

Now that we're through with the offer specifics let's quickly jump into all the reasons why the Google Pixel 2 is a no-brainer at Rs 39,999 (even at Rs 47,999):

Functional design, pleasing display

The Pixel 2 isn't luxurious. It's far from it, in fact. You can say that it's Pixel thing: it's what's inside that counts. You'll just have to get used to the bland and boring - next to premium competition - exterior. It's better looking and better feeling than the first Pixel though. The original Pixel looked more like an unpolished slab of aluminum. Not the Pixel 2. The Pixel 2 looks and feels way more refined, and way more premium.

It's still all metal, the Pixel 2, and the signature glass strip on the back stays put too. It's still boxy, and home to some of the chunkiest bezels you'll ever find in a smartphone. But, Google is using a hybrid coating atop all that metal that kind of smoothens things up and also hides all those unsightly antenna lines that were part and parcel of the original Pixel. Google, in addition, has shrunk the signature glass strip on the back and thrown in front-firing stereo speakers into the mix making all that extra space make sense now, more than it did in the case of the original Pixel.

The Pixel 2 is a great smartphone. In fact, it's the best Android smartphone in the market right now

Corning Gorilla Glass 5 guards the front, while the metallic back ensures the Pixel 2 doesn't accumulate smudge and fingerprints. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner works like a charm, and also crams in a neat little swipe for notifications trick that can be quite useful. The Pixel 2 is IP67-certified as well and is therefore dust and water resistant.

To cut the long story short: the Pixel 2's meant for someone who prefers function over form. There may be better looking phones in the market, but, the Pixel 2 - with its understated elegance - will still find keepers.

The same is true about its display. The 5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen of the Pixel 2 may not inspire a premium flagship level confidence, but, don't let numbers cloud your judgment. Just like it's with the design, you'll have to give the Pixel 2's screen a second look, maybe some more, and it'll grow on you, eventually.

The screen of the Pixel 2, to begin with, isn't as polarizing as the screen of the Pixel 2 XL. It doesn't suffer from any of the issues either, which means, there's no major colour shifting, or burn-in, in the Pixel 2. One thing that does stay put with the Pixel 2, though, is the fact that its screen is toned down to the sRGB color spectrum - even though it can support a wider DCI-P3 colour gamut -- probably to maximize its color accuracy. This entails in dull - often lifeless - colours when compared with other OLED screen toting smartphones in the market.

Essentially, you won't find colours popping out of the screen, in the case of the Pixel 2 even though it comes with an AMOLED screen. But unlike the bigger Pixel 2 XL, the screen of the Pixel 2 churns out more accurate colours: colours that are more pleasing to the eyes. If however you're looking for a little more flexibility, the Pixel 2 now offers as many as three options to manually correct colour temperature, which is nice. Brightness levels are good, so are the viewing angles, which means the Pixel 2 won't give you a hard time in harsh sunlight.

Fast performance, faster software updates

The Pixel 2 runs Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box and is now upgradable to version 8.1 of the operating system. Google is promising minimum 3 years of OS and security updates to it, which is, well nothing short of fantastic. But then that's obvious: it's a Google phone, you expect nothing short of the best as far as software is concerned. The Pixel 2, to cut short the chase, is all about pure, unadulterated software that's first in line to receive all the latest in updates directly from Google.

A combination of high-end hardware -- a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 clubbed with 4GB RAM -- and pure vanilla Android ensures the Pixel 2 flies like no other flagship Android smartphone in the market. You get lots of internal storage -- 64GB/128GB -- so you'll probably not miss that it's lacking a micro-SD card slot, but, there may be some who'll be turned off by the fact that the Pixel 2 supports only single-SIM.The Pixel 2, it must be noted, runs a stock build of Android, and does not offer the kind of intricate customisation options that other Android phones with third-party skins bring to the table. With Android Oreo, Google does give you some -- like the auto generation of dark and light themes depending on the wallpaper you select -- but there's still a long way to go before we can expect some more manual control in a Google Pixel. This is not necessarily a deal-breaker but still something to ponder over if you're out looking to buy a new smartphone.

Picture-perfect camera

You'll probably be wondering why I kept the Pixel 2's most talked about feature for the end. Well, simply because, I wanted to leave the best bits for the end. The Pixel 2 is a spectacular camera smartphone. Hands down, it's the best camera smartphone that money can buy. For most people that is. The 12MP rear camera on-board the Pixel 2 can shoot like a pro -- without actually having a pro-mode -- in all kinds of scenarios. Even challenging ones. A lot of this has to do with the tight integration of software with the hardware: something that also allows the Pixel 2, to shoot portrait/bokeh photos with just the one lens. The dynamic range and the level of detail -- in good, artificial and low light -- is spot-on and colours are true to source: in fact, the best in the business. The same is true about videos -- that are assisted by both OIS and EIS.

There's a catch however, and whether or not that's a deal-breaker would depend upon how you perceive your ideal smartphone camera to be. The Pixel 2 camera has a thing for detail -- and dynamic range -- and there would be occasions -- especially in low light -- when it would entail in noise or grain (sometimes, lots of noise or grain) because of its greater affinity for detail -- and dynamic range. This often entails in a camera experience that's, for the lack of a better word, inconsistent. Secondly, because the Pixel 2 camera produces images that are truer to source -- with bare minimum post-processing -- you'll find a similar image shot using the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, for instance, popping out more in comparison. The level of detail -- and dynamic range -- may not be as good as the image shot using the Pixel 2, but, chances are you'd end up being awed by the same image shot using the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 because of the punchier colour palette. Lastly, the Pixel 2 camera isn't meant for someone who likes full -- pro-level -- control over their photos.

To conclude

Here's what I had to say about the Google Pixel 2 in my full review:

"The Pixel 2 may not be everybody's cup of tea, but, for those who'll be willing to take the plunge, the Pixel 2 will not disappoint."

The Pixel 2 is a great smartphone. In fact, it's the best Android smartphone in the market right now. Especially for someone looking for a compact smartphone. The Pixel 2 is meant for people looking for a no nonsense Android smartphone that works, and has an outstanding camera while at it.

The Pixel 2 may be overlooked at Rs 61,000 but it's most definitely a no-brainer at Rs 39,999. Add to it, Google's three-year software update and two-year warranty promise, and you get more than what you can ever ask for from your smartphone purchase. If you've been eyeing to get the Pixel 2, now will be the best time. Go get it now.